The Intimate Ape

January 25, 2010
Of all the great apes, orangutans have been the most neglected by researchers. In this remarkably empathetic book, Thompson (Letters from Prison
) sets about correcting this omission. Interweaving his own contact with the apes with the work of primatologists and veterinarians who have made studying orangutans in the forests of Borneo and Sumatra their mission, and how the unassuming orangutan—ostensibly the least compelling primate—came to demand his due. Thompson establishes the individuality of the reclusive Indonesian apes—the paralyzed but inquisitive Kiki; Kusasi, the dominant maverick; the elusive Merah, who bonds with humans over their shared affection for her baby. We also learn that they fashion a kind of leaf doll to take to bed with them, that the Sumatran subspecies are adept at making and using tools, that they communicate and analyze the intentions of others. Even if the narrative gets bogged down and buckles under the weight of detail (some of it quite dry), there is still abundant pleasure to be found in the book’s earnest and affectionate portrait of this captivating and increasingly imperiled species.

January 1, 2010
Up-close encounters with a fascinating group of people and the orangutans with whom they share their lives.

In 2001, at the age of 50, Thompson (Journalism/Thompson Rivers Univ.; A River Rat's Guide to the Thousand Islands, 1996, etc.) made his first trip to Borneo where he visited sick and orphaned orangutans. Spending"hours and hours" at the clinic proved to be a life-changing experience, as the author came to realize that"a creature like this can think and feel like you do." He watched veterinarian Rosa Maria Garriga work tirelessly with the orangutans. He learned the story of the famous Kusasi, who was orphaned and taken captive in the late'70s, then rescued and taken to a camp. Travelling between the bush and the camp, Kusasi thrived to become the dominating orangutan in the area. One of the disputed issues among primatologists is whether humans should act as surrogate mothers for orphaned orangutans, who normally stay with their mothers until they are seven. Thompson met several primatologists who mothered orphaned apes with mixed success—some of the apes became overattached, jealous and ultimately dangerous or unable to cope in the wild. The author gives due credit to famed primatologists Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall, who"perceived different aspects of apes because they saw them as individuals with an emotional life." Thompson ponders the unique intelligence of orangutans, who appear to have the IQ of a three-and-a-half-year-old, yet don't have a child's mind.

Advances the compelling message that we have much to learn from orangutans as their numbers diminish.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2010
Known as the "red apes" and the "thinkers of the jungle," orangutans are the most solitary and preoccupied of the great apes. While highly intelligent, calculating, and expressive, they are also likely to vanish from their native tropical forests in Borneo and Sumatra within a matter of decades. With these facts in mind, Canadian journalist Thompson interviewed orangutan researchers and rehabilitators about their complicated relationships with these humanlike apes. Some of the scientists are well knownsuch as Herman Rijksen and Birut Galdikaswhile others are less so, but all are (or were) intensely dedicated individuals who have made orangutans the priority of their professional and personal lives. VERDICT Unlike Galdikas's "Great Ape Odyssey" or Desmond Morris's "Planet Ape", this is not a summary of the latest scientific research on the orangutan species but an exploration of the inner spirit of individual orangutans and the nature of the human-orangutan bond. General readers interested in the great apes will be captivated by the rich life histories of famous orangutans such as Kusai, Azak, and Sugito. Strongly recommended for all natural history collections.Cynthia Knight, Hunterdon Cty. Lib., Flemington, NJ

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